Enchanted Rose Afternoon Tea
Son & Garden in Palo Alto
Summary
Score: 8/10
Highlights: mini matcha blini, blueberry scone with whipped lavender butter
Location: 535 Bryant St, Palo Alto, CA 94301
Tea service hours: weekdays from 9 AM to 3 PM, and weekends from 2 PM to 4 PM
Price: $55 per person
Reservations: OpenTable
The Scene
If you’re searching for Son & Garden in downtown Palo Alto, just look for the storefront with the hanging purple wisteria à la Bridgerton come to life. Trust us, you won’t need Google Maps.
Son & Garden is a New American brunch restaurant by Thai-American Chef Kasem "Pop" Saengsawang. It is the second venture by Chef Saengsawang, after his oh-so-Instagrammable Farmhouse Kitchen Thai Cuisine, which has several locations throughout the Bay Area. Like Farmhouse Kitchen, S&G operates on the premise of unapologetically photogenic food & decor for social media-oriented patrons. Past the wisteria-laden entrance, you’ll find far more photo ops, including multiple flower walls, Van Gogh’s Almond Blossoms as wallpaper, and a dedicated selfie space complete with “Hello Gorgeous!” neon sign and ring light. Son & Garden pulls off this brazenness by fully committing to the vibe. Everything from the seat cushions to the staff uniforms are curated to feel feminine and fun.
That’s not to say the focus is singularly on appearance. The food is generally very good, with substantial offerings, including lobster benedict, Dungeness crab omelette, bibimbap and matcha mochi pancakes. S&G sources Silicon Valley gourmet favorites Acme Bread, Snake River Farm beef, and Equator Coffee. Lunch fare includes paninis and a Wagyu burger. An elaborate “liquid brunch” or drinks menu features cocktails such as the Cloud 9 (cotton candy cloud, lillet blanc, dolin blanc, pineapple, sparkling wine, and an edible butterfly) and the I Scream for Ice Cream (vodka, Equator espresso, Coastal Charm coffee liqueur, homemade salted caramel and vanilla ice cream in a mini chocolate cone affixed to a coupe cocktail glass with the world’s tiniest clothespin).
S&G currently has 2 locations in the Bay Area, San Francisco and Palo Alto. The Palo Alto location is open 9 AM to 3 PM daily.
The Tea
Son & Garden features four themed teas a year, changing seasonally. Past themes include the Barbie Part-tea (review coming up!), Cherry Blossom tea, and Under the Sea tea. The latest iteration is The Enchanted Rose, a nod to Disney’s Beauty & The Beast.
The prix fixe menu is pictured below:
The afternoon tea set is available on weekdays from 9 AM to 3 PM, and weekends from 2 PM to 4 PM. Afternoon tea is served alongside regular brunch, and customers can add a la carte brunch items if desired. An alternate vegetarian set is available.
The Scone Society Score
Tea: 1/2
Son & Garden’s tea sets are accompanied by a selection of Harney & Sons tea, presented in a wooden tea box by the wait staff. Each person steeps their own tea in an individual tea pot. This arrangement is convenient, but we would love to see a more exclusive, local, or premium brand of tea represented, especially in context of S&G locally sourcing Equator Coffee from nearby Marin County. A signature, floral tea blend to complement the Enchanted Rose theme would also elevate the liquid component of this afternoon tea.
S&G’s china varies with the seasonal tea theme—an elegant touch that requires more thought than consistently utilizing a more generic, neutral china, in the vein of many tea rooms with changing themes. For the Enchanted Rose tea service, the china was a mix-and-match of floral pieces, punctuated by classic Royal Albert “Old Country Roses” tea cups. It would have been nice to see the full set of Old Country Roses. Also, given the Beauty & the Beast theme, it seems like there was a missed opportunity to feature a chipped teacup.
Scones: 2/2
Son & Garden does scones right. The homemade blueberry scones are, indeed, “fluffy… for a delightful indulgence,” as advertised. They strike just the right balance of crisp exterior and soft interior. Likewise, a generous pat of the freshly whipped lavender butter imbues “a touch of luxury,” as promised. Clotted cream and jam are nowhere to be found, but the scones speak for themselves and are nicely complemented by the butter.
Savory tier: 2/2
S&G’s savory tier of cucumber dill, smoked salmon and egg salad is substantial and classic. The portions are also large enough to satisfy Gaston. The mini samosas, more like hand pies, add variety and interest to the savory selection, while fresh strawberries and orange slices bring a welcome modicum of nutritional value to this indulgent tea service, for those of us who sometimes substitute afternoon tea for a proper meal (guilty as charged).
Sweet tier: 2/2
The sweet tier is where Son & Garden shines. The variety of the sweet tier is outstanding, with diverse offerings from marshmallow-studded strawberry rice crispies to lavender macarons, in addition to the more predictable chocolate tart, lemon tart and mini cheesecake. The standout item in this tea set is the mini matcha blini in a cute little bowl of matcha sauce, a nod to S&G’s Asian influence. The presentation of the sweet tier is also fun, with a touch of baby’s breath and the obligatory enchanted rose crowning the tray.
Setting: 1/2
Son & Garden certainly invites you to be their guest, but the space was not transformed into a Baroque Disney castle by any means. Perhaps it was simply the lack of royal blue tablecloths and other little decor touches as advertised in photos of the tea on the restaurant’s website, but something felt missing. (Does the San Francisco location’s version of this tea look different? Leave a comment if you know.) We would have loved to see a candlestick or an analog clock as part of the tablescape, as a subtle nod to beloved characters from Beauty & The Beast, or perhaps the tea bag selection could be presented inside a book safe in reference to Belle the bookworm. Additional details such as these would help push the theme over the top.
Overall: 8/10
Compared to the high bar set by Son & Garden’s previous seasonal themed afternoon teas and its social media promotion of this one, the Enchanted Rose tea left us wanting something more that wasn’t there before. Still, it was a fun escape from this provincial life.
